Car loading apparatus



April 14, 1953 R. A. CLINE ET AL 2,634,871

CAR LOADING APPARATUS l i) Attorneys April 14, 1953 R. A. CLINE r-:T AL 2,534,371

CAR LOADING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 4. 1947 7 sheets-sheet 2 Inventors Roscoe A Cline Andy Doc:

April T4, 19.53 R. A. CLINE ETAL 2,634,871

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Inventors Rosoe A. Cline Andy Doci By @HW a Atzorneys Patented Apr. 14, 1953 CAR LOADING APPARATUS Roscoe A. Cline and Andy Doci, Lorado, W. Va., assignors of one-third to L. F. Workman,

Lorado, W. Va.

Application August 4, 1947, Serial No. 766,128

7 Claims. (Cl. 214-43) This invention relates to a car loading apparatus and has for its primary object to direct granular material and the like into cars in succession.

Another object is to maintain a continuous flow of the material to be loaded and permit of the exchanging of a loaded car for an empty car Without interrupting the iiow of the material.

A further object is to automatically move the loading mechanism as a car being advanced into loading position, and to return the loader to its initial position automatically after the car to be loaded has been moved into loading position.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a pair of contiguous hoppers movable in unison between the discharge end of a conveyor and the car to be loaded, said hoppers being disposed over a pair of adjacent cars for directing material discharged by the conveyor into the cars immediately beneath the hoppers, means actuated by the advance of a car into loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor to advance the hoppers in unison with the advance of the car and means to return the hoppers to their original position while the car beneath the discharge end of the conveyor is being loaded.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a car loader embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the loader illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 taken from the opposite side of the loader;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 4 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 isa sectional view taken substantially along the line 5 5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged detail view of the hopper advancing and trip mechanism;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view through one of the hopper supporting rails;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure l of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 9 is a side View of the loader illustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is an end view of the loader illustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary side view partially in section of the latch mechanism employed with the modification illustrated in Figure 8;

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line I2-I2 of Figure 11; and,

Figure 13 is the wiring diagram of the modified form of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail this improved car loader comprises a main supportving frame designated generally 20 comprising standards 2| supporting at their upper ends guide rails 22 which extend longitudinally between the standards and are held in spaced parallel relation by cross bars 23. The frame is supported above in spaced parallel relation to a railway track 24 on which cars 25 are arranged" into the cars. As illustrated in Figure 7 the side Y rails 22 comprise angle irons so disposed that one flange of each projects upwardly, and mounted for rotation at spaced intervals on the upwardly projecting ange of each side rail are spaced rollers 29 forming the supporting rollers for the carriage to be more fully hereinafter described. As illustrated the rollers 29 rotate about horizontal axes, and mounted in suitable horizontally spaced brackets carried by the vertically extending ange of each side rail 22 are guide rollers all which serve as lateral guides for the y carriage.

Inasmuch as the loading device is adapted to be used in a mine, suitable upwardly and outwardly extending anchoring rods 3l are coupled to the upper ends of the standards 2l and anchored as at 32 in the roof of the mine tunnel to further brace the frame 2li. The rods 3l are l preferably provided intermediate their ends with turnbuckles 33 by which the tension on the rods may be regulated.

Pivotally mounted as at 34 to one of the side rails 22 adjacent the forward end of the frame 20 is a latch arm 35 which is provided with an upwardly projecting latch 36, and a downwardly curved handle 31. The handle 31 is of greater weight than the opposite end of the latch arm 35 so that the latch dog 36 normally will be held upwardly, and downward movement of the latch arm 35 under the inuence of the handle 31 is restricted by the adjacent cross bar 23.

Supported on suitable brackets 39 attached to one of the side rails 22 and projecting vertically in spaced parallel relation to the verticalflange thereof is an upwardly and forwardly inclined cam track 4|) the purpose of which will more fully hereinafter appear. Pivotally supported as at 4I on an upstanding ear 42 carried by the side rail 22 to which the brackets 39 are attached, and besides the cam track 40 is a lever arm 43 carrying at its upper end a tiltable cam track 44, the forward end of which rests upon the cam track 40 when it is in normal position, but may be moved upwardly as suggested by the dotted lines in Figure 6 under certain conditions.`

I carriage to its initial position. Upon manipula- The lever arm 43 is provided with a downwardly and forwardly extending angular projection 45 carrying a counterweight 46 which'serves to hold the forward end of the cam track 44 in Ycontact with the upper side of the cam track 40 under yielding pressure. l

Mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on the frame 2U is a distributor carriage designated generally 41 comprising a pair of side rails 48 each comprising an angle bar disposed with its vertical flange turned downwardly, and its horizontal flange riding on the rollers 29. The vertical flanges of the angle bars 48 engage the guide rollers 38 to prevent lateral displacement of the carriage on the frame. The distributor carriage 41 is provided with a distributor hopper formed yof a pair of hoppers 49 the adjacent ends of which are contiguous as illustrated while their lower ends converge and form discharge chutes over adjacent cars 25 on the track 24.

Pivotally supported in suitable bearings on opposite sides of the carriage, and beneath the convergent contiguous ends of the hoppers 49 is a transversely extending rock shaft 50 carrying intermediate its ends a depending arm 5l which as illustrated in Figures l and 4 projects downwardly and engages the forward edge of a car 25 which is to be moved into loading position under the conveyor 28. Pivotally mounted on a bracket arm 52 mounted on the carriage 41 on the side adjacent the cam track 40 is a latch arm 53 carrying at its free end a roller 54 which is adapted to ride on the cam track 40, and in so doing lifts the latch arm, as the carriage moves forward with a car 25 to be advanced into loading position. Formed on one end of the rock shaft 50 is an upward projection 55 which engages the latch arm 53 when it is in its lowermost position so that as the car 25 with which the depending arm 5| engages is advanced into loading position under the conveyor 28, the rock shaft 5i) will be held against rocking movement by means of the latch arms 53 until the roller 54 is lifted by the cam track 48 into a position to disengage the extension 55. Such disengagement of the extension 55 by the latch arm 53 will permit the car 25 to advance without moving the carriage.

Fixed as at 5B to the forward end of the side rail 4B of the carriage 41 opposite that adjacent the cam track 40 is a flexible cable 51 which extends rearwardly on the frame adjacent a side rail 22 to a suitable guide pulley 58 over which it entrains and turns laterally to pass over the guide roller 59 carried on a suitable laterally extending bracket 60. The end of the cable 51 opposite that which is coupled to the carriage carries a counterweight 6I which serves to return the carriage to its initial starting position after it has been moved by a car which is being advanced into loading position.

The operation of the device so far described is as follows: As a car 25 is being advanced into loading position beneath the conveyor 28 the arm Y tion of the hand lever 31, the latch dog 36 may be moved out of engagement with the tongue B2, thus permitting the carriage to move under the Vinfluence of the weight 6I to its initial position so as to bring the foremost hopper into loading positionover the .car that is being loaded. Obviously as the car is advanced into loading position the roller 54 will ride upwardly along the cam track 4B. causing the cam track 44 to swing about in pivot point 4l until the roller passes the end of the cam track 44, at which time it the counterweight the arm 5I may escape the upper edges of the car that has just been moved into loading position. The latch arm 53 is held out of engagement with the extension 55 by reason of the engagement of the roller 54 with the cam track 44 until the roller rides off of the rear end of the cam track, thus permitting the latch arm 53 to drop and lock the extension 55, and the arm 5I in a position to be engaged by the car next to be advanced. In this way the contiguous hoppers 49 may be utilized to guide the material being loaded into the cars without loss.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figures 8 through 13 inclusively there is provided a frame designated generally 65 which comprises four legs or standards 66 supporting at their upper ends spaced parallel guide rails 61 which lie between a track 58 and a material handling and discharging conveyor 69 from which the material to be loaded is discharged. Mounted on the track 68 are cars 10 which are coupled together as at 1I to form a string of cars which Amay be moved one by one into loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor. The frame 65 is substantially similar in construction to the frame 20 previously described, and mounted for longitudinal movement along the frame is a distributor carriage designated generally 12 which like the carriage 41 previously described is provided with contiguous hoppers 13 which are adapted alternately to be moved in unison with the movement of the carsto move the latch dog 16 into released position.

Such a latch arrangement is provided at each end of the frame 65 so that as the carriage 12 is V- moved into its extreme position, the latch dog 16 at the respective end of the frame will engage a keeper 8| carried by the carriage, and hold the carriage against accidental movement until such time as the respective solenoid coil 19 is energized. Mounted intermediate the ends' of the frame 65 on one side is a drive motor 82, the drive shaft of which carries a drive pinion 83 which meshes with a drive gear 88, coupled through the medium of a drive disk 95 and connecting rod 86 to the carriage 12, so that as the drive disk 85 is driven by the motor 82 the carriage will move lengthwise of the frame 65. Mounted at each end of the frame 85 beneath the carriage 12 is a push button switch 81 which is so designed as to break contact when the button is pressed, and can make contact when pressure is released from the button. A suitable depending stop member 88 is carried adjacent each end of the carriage 12, and is adapted to engage the push button switch at the end of the frame 65 as it is approached by the carriage.

A two-way push button control switch 89 is mounted at some convenient place on the frame 65 to be manually actuated by the operator of the device.

As illustrated in the diagram in Figure 13 one pole 90 of a power supply line leads through a conductor 9| to one terminal 92 of each solenoid 19, and also to one terminal 98 of the motor 82. The opposite pole 94 of the power line is coupled to the terminals 95 and 98 of the pus-h button switch 89. Leading from the terminal 91 of the push button switch 89 is a conductor 98 which leads to one terminal 99 of the push button switch 81 at one end of the frame 65. The opposite terminal of the push button switch 81 just referred to is coupled through the medium of a conductor |8| to one terminal |02 of the push button switch 81 at the opposite end of the frame 65. Leading from the contact |03 of the push button switch 89 is a conductor |04 which is connected to the terminals |05 of each solenoid 19, and this conductor is also connected to the terminal |08` of the motor 82, and through the medium of a conductor |01 to the terminal |08 of the push button switch 81 at one end of the Vframe 65 opposite that to which the conductor 98 leads.

It will thus be seen that when the push button switch 89 is in the position illustrated in Figure 13, current will flow through the conductor 94, the pole 95, the pole 91 and the conductor 98 to the pole 99 of the switch 81 at one end of the frame 65. Continuing through the switch 81 just referred to the current will ilow through the pole |00 into the conductor ll and the pole |92 of the switch 81 at the opposite end of the machine. Flowing across the switch 81 just mentioned through the pole |08 the circuit will be completed through the motor 82, thus causing the motor to drive a drive disk 85 until the carriage 12 moves to a position to bring its stop member 88 into contact with the push button of a switch 81. At this time the circuit will be broken through the motor 82 and through the solenoid coils 19, thus permitting their latch arms to move into latching position. When it is desired again to move the carriage and shift it to the opposite end of the frame, the push button switch 89 is operated to move the contact inwardly and cause the poles 90 and |03 thereof to be bridged. This will cause the current to flow through the conductor 94, contact 96, contact |03 and conductor |04, thus to energize the solenoid carriage may be caused to move in unison withr the cars simply by pressing the push button of the switch 89 and releasing it, and as the carriage approaches either end of the frame, the latch at that end of the frame will engage the carriage and hold it until the push button switch- 89 is again manipulated.

In order that the material being loaded in the cars may be directed from one side to the other a rock shaft |09 is mounted in suitable bearings ||8 at opposite ends of the carriage and xed tov the rock shaft and projecting downwardly into each hopper is a movable baille I which may be shifted angularly about the axis of the rock shaft 09 to direct the material falling through the hopper to one side of the other thereof. Fixed to the rock shaft intermediate its ends is a depending arm ||2 to the lower end of which is pivoted as at ||3 one end of a push rod H4, the opposite end of which projects through a suitable guide 5 in the side of the carriage and is equipped with a suitable handle ||6 by means oi which the rod may be moved longitudinally to cause the arm ||2 to rock the shaft |09 and adjust the baies I to the desired position.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with a car loading conveyor and a string oi cars adapted to be advanced in succession into loading position beneath the discharge end of said conveyor, of a pair of contiguous hoppers movable in unison between the discharge end of the conveyor and the cars, said hoppers being disposed over a pair of adjacent cars in said string of cars for directing material discharged by the conveyor into the cars immediately therebeneath, an arm carried by the hoppers for engaging a car during its advance into loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor to move the hoppers in unison with the advance of the car, a trip for automatically disengaging said arm from the car when it reaches loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor and means to return the hoppers -to starting position while the car beneath the discharge end of the conveyor is being loaded.

2. The combination with a car loading conveyor and a string of cars adapted to be advanced in succession into loading position beneath the discharge end of said conveyor, of a pair of contiguous hoppers movable in unison between the discharge end of the conveyor and the cars, said hoppers being disposed over a pair of adjacent cars in said string of cars for directing material discharged by the conveyor into the cars immediately therebeneath, an arm carried by the hoppers for engaging a car during its advance into loading position beneath the discharge end of the `conveyor to move the hoppers in unison with the advance of the car, a, trip for automatically disengaging said arm from the car when it reaches loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor vand gravity actuated means to return the hoppers to lstarting position while the 4car beneath the discharge end of the conveyor is being loaded.

3. The combination with a car loading conveyor and a string of cars adapted to be advanced in succession into loading position beneath the discharge end of said conveyor, of a pair of contiguous hoppers movable in unison between the discharge end of the conveyor and the cars, said hoppers being disposed over a pair of adjacent cars in said string of cars for directing material discharged by the conveyor into the cars immediately therebeneath, an arm carried by the hoppers for engaging a car during its advance into loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor to move the hoppers in unison with the advance of the car, a trip for automatically disengaging said arm from the car when it reaches loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyorI and means to return the hoppers to starting position while the car beneath the dis-charge end of the conveyor is being loaded and manually releasable means for holding the hoppers advanced.

4. The combination with a car loading conveyor and a strng of cars adapted to be advanced in succession vinto loading position beneath the discharge end of said conveyor, of a pair of contiguous hoppers movable in unison between the discharge end of the conveyor and the cars, said hoppers being disposed over a pair of adjacent cars in said string of cars for directing material discharged by the conveyor into the cars immediately therebeneath, an arm carried by the hoppers for engaging a car during its advance into loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor to move the hoppers in *unison with the advance of the car, a trip for automatically disengaging said arm from the car when it reaches loading position beneath the discharge end of the conveyor and means to return the hoppers to starting position while the car beneath the discharge end of the conveyor is being loaded and a latch for holding the hoppers advanced.

5. The combination of a car loading material conveyor with material distributing means adapted to direct material continuously received from the conveyor into a string of cars advanced sequentially therebelow, said means comprising a pair of contiguous material directing hoppers having horizontally spa-ced discharge openings, said hoppers being mounted for horizontal reciprocation below the discharge end of the conveyor, means for advancing the hoppers from a first position in which one of the hoppers only is disposed directly below the `discharge end of the conveyor to a second position in which the other hopper only is disposed directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, means for retaining the hoppers in the second position, means for releasing said retaining means, and means for returning the hoppers to the first position.

6. The combination of a car loading material conveyor with material distributing means adapted to direct material continuously received from the conveyor into a string of cars advanced sequentially therebelow, said means comprising a pair of contiguous material directing hoppers having horizontally spaced discharge openings, said hoppers being mounted for horizontal reciprocation below the discharge end of the conveyor, means for advancing the hoppers from a rst position in Which one of the hoppers only is disposed directly below the discharge end of the conveyor to a second position in which the other hopper only is disposed directly below the discharge end of the conveyor, means for retaining said hoppers in each of said positions, means for releasing said hoppers from vsaid retaining means, and means for returning the hoppers from the second to the first position.

7. The combination with a car loading material conveyor and rst and adjacent connected cars movable in succession below the discharge end of the conveyor, of a pair of contiguous material directing hoppers mounted for horizontal reciprocation between the discharge end of the conveyor and the cars, said hoppers having horizontally spaced discharge openings adapted to be disposed above the cars, means for moving the hoppers While the cars are stationary from an original position in which one oi the hoppers is disposed directly below the discharge end .of the conveyor with its discharge opening being disposed directly above said first car to a iirst position in which the other of the hoppers only is disposed directly below the discharge end of the conveyor with the discharge opening of said one hopper being disposed directly above said adjacent car, and means for returning the hoppers from the nal position to the original position with respect to the conveyor, said lastmentioned means including a releasable normally operative driving connection between one of the cars and the hoppers, and means responsive to the positioning of the hoppers in the original position to release said driving connection.

ROSCOE A. CLINE.

ANDY DOCI.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 926,619 Summers June 29, 1909 1,247,805 Febre Nov. 27, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,548 Great Britain May 15, 1912 

